Glass pavement-light



F. L. KEPPLER.

GLASS PAVEMENT LIGHT.

y APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5. .1917.

1,385,688. Patentedmy26,1921.

UNITED STATES rATENT OFFICE.

. FREDERICK@ KEPPLER, or New YORK, N. Y.

GLASS PAVEMENT-LIGHT.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK L. KEPPLER, a citizen of thellnited States, residing at N ew York, in the county of New York and State Vofl\lew York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement. in' Glass Pavement-Lights, of which the followngis a specification. Y' Y My invention relates to improvements in pavement lights and has for one object to provide a newV and improvedform of glass tile. or pavement light which may beV used in connection with theordinary and wellknown glass and concrete pavement construction. Another obj ect is to provide such a tile as will have increased strength and durability` and will be less Subj ect to abrasion. Another object is to provide a tile which will be non-slipping, which will not wear smooth and which will preserve a rough and corrugated surface and which will prevent slipping no matter how far worn is the surface of the tile. My invention also relates to the process of producing such a tile.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein-e Figure 1 is a section through one of my tiles;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tile;

Fig. 3 is a section through a modied form; and

F ig.r4 is a plan view of'a still further modilication.

Like parts are indicated by like characters in all the figures.

A is the ordinary type of rectangular flat pavement tile. It is surrounded by a downwardly extending skirt or flange AL corrugated on its outer side as at A2, so that it may be built into the structure of the pavement or wall as the case may be. A3, A3 are a series of pockets or holes cast into the upper surface of the tile. These pockets are cast rather than drilled or cut because of the obvious difficulties in connection with drilling and cutting glass, but for the more important reason that by providing these holes the skin is increased in area thereby increas-A ing the strength of the tile since in glass castings the skin is the strongest part. A4, A4 are plugs made up of plastic material, preferably a concrete or cement, with a relatively large quantity of carborunduln or some other hard or resistant material. These pockets are filled with plugs of such Specification of Letters Batena Patented July 26:, 1921 Application file-d February 5, 1917. Serial No, 146,641.

material .which adhere rigidly to the sides are scattered aboutv and widely separated so v as to interfere to the least possible degree with the passage'of'light through the pavement tile and to weaken such tile to the least possible degree.

In the modified form shown vin Fig. 3, the perforations are deeper and the tile is curved or bossed downwardly as at B to provide a suflicient thickness of glass between the bottom of the tileand ltheV pocket. In Fig. 4f isshown a further. modified form wherein a single plug C is located in thel center of a circular tile C1. The pockets may be of any desired depth, the shallower the better, provided they -are deep enough to hold the necessary material.

It is understood, of course, that these different structures all operate on the same principle for the same purpose but under different structural conditions it is desired to have different. tiles, and in fact many other different pavement lights are used and my process and invention can be applied to any one of these.

The lower surface of the pavement tile is as shown formed on the areas set at different angles for the purpose of diffusing light and minimizing the degree to which the opaque material in the pockets is visible from below.

' It is understood that the process is carried out by casting the glass light and then pouring in a plastic material containing the car borundum or other hard material and then allowing it to set when the tile is finished. Of course, the material which is used must be such as will not on setting shrink awa from the wall of the tile or expand to crach the tile, but many cements, well-known in the art are available.

The pavement light has the pockets widely scattered so as to present the fewest possible points of interference with the passage of light rays therethrough and so as to weaken the pavement light or tile to the least possible degree. The surface of the inside of the tile is undulatory, varied, or provided with faces inclined to each other, and this is true where the tile is provided with strengthening protuberances under the pockets. The effect of these faces is, toV diffuse and scatter the light in such manner as to obscure or minimize the opaque appearance of the material in the pockets.. VThe under surface of the tile is so arranged, as constructed in the preferredV form in F ig. 1, and the alternative form of Fig. 3, that the light rays falling on the upper surface pass out through the under surface practically uninterrupted by the plugs, the 'angles of the under surface being such that the light rays are reflected across the under surface of the tile and the depressions filled with the opaque material practically dol not interrupt the light passage and these lights. when in use present to the eye practically the saine appearance as that of the ordinary tile. i

It will be evident that while I have shown in my drawings an operative device, still many changes might be made both in size, shape and arrangement without departing materially from the spirit of my invention, and I wish therefore, that my drawings be regarded as in a sense diagrammatic.

I claim 1. As a new article of manufacture, a tile unit comprising a glass body with a substantially4 flat upper surface, aV depending rim about its edge, a plurality of projections from the Vlower surface of the tile,rwithin the rim, shaped to form strengthening and light diffusing areas, and a series of abrasive plugs set in the upper surface ofA the tile above the projections, each plug lying well within the boundary of the projections over which it is placed.

2. As a new article of manufacture,.a tile unit comprising a glass body with a'substantially fiat upper-surface and a plurality ofv projections from the lower surface of the tile shaped to form strengthening and light diffusing areas, and a series of abrasive plugs set intheupper surface of the tile above the projection, each plug lying well within the boundary of the projection over which it is placed.

In testimonyy whereof, I alix my signature in the presence of two witnesses this twenty ninth 'day of January, 1917.

Y FREDERICK L. KEPPLER.

Witnesses:

' JOHN J. MOORE,

A. S. BURTON- 

